Cajun Potatoes

What goes better with a Blackened Red Snapper than a side of beautiful Cajun Purple Potatoes?  Well if you need an answer that would be nothing

Loaded with spices and slowly roasted, these potatoes pack a nice punch with any meal!

Ingredients

• 1 lb purple potatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp thyme leaves

In a separate small bowl mix together all the spices, toss with the potatoes to coat.

Spread the potatoes onto a baking sheet and place into a  375° oven for 30-35 minutes.

Remove from the oven when crisp.

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is Gluten-Free.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Tilapia Tacos, Gourmet Tots and Free Beer

Live music, delicious food and free beer make for a great little spot, but let’s be honest you had me at FREE BEER!

Before I left Oklahoma my brothers girlfriend invited me to lunch at this little spot known as Cafe Nova. It wasn’t until I arrived that I found out about the free beer at happy hour. Had I known about that prior I would have suggested a late (like 4 pm late) lunch!

Yes, from 4-7 PM Mon-Fri if you purchase a $5 appetizer you receive as much free domestic draft beer as you can drink. That could make for a fun Wednesday evening next time I come to visit

But enough about this amazing happy hour that I didn’t get to experience, let’s get to the delicious food that I did experience while lunching with the “FSIL” at Cafe Nova!

We ordered The Fish Taco, Super Nova Salad and Tilapia, as well as their famous happy hour appetizer, the Gourmet Tots!

The Fish Taco was my favorite! The poblano aioli was killer and the tilapia was seared perfectly.

The salad was also delicious.  I give them mad props for loading it up with tons of blue cheese and dried cherries!  Nothing worse than a skimpy salad

I won’t lie, I wanted to hate the Gourmet Tots just for the sake of our otherwise decently healthy meal being ruined.  But those little golden nuggets of goodness, filled with cheese and ham, fried to a golden perfection were pretty outstanding.

Dipped in the homemade ranch… not too shabby, even for this weirdo over here who doesn’t like ranch! (I know, I know, call in the authorities, there must be something wrong with me!)

And finally the Tilapia, served with whipped potatoes and wilted spinach.  While this was delicious, I felt the cream sauce and potatoes were a little heavy for lunch, but if you’re looking for something to fill you up mid-day, this would be the plate to get!

Come for the great food at lunch or the ultimate combo of great food and FREE beer at Happy Hour, either way Cafe Nova is a great place to go in OKC!

White Peach Sangria

After taking just one sip of the most perfect “tastes-like-you-stuck-a-straw-in-a-peach” Sangria at Hugo’s Mexican Restaurant in Houston, I knew I had to attempt a recreation of my own!

I found the perfect opportunity when I hosted a BBQ this Saturday. Nothing beats 101° temperatures better than a light, refreshing glass of Peach Sangria!

Ingredients (makes 2 liters)

• 1 lime (sliced thin)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1.5 liter bottle chenin blanc
• 1/2 cup apricot brandy
• 1/4 cup triple sec
• 1 cup peach nectar*
• 3 nectarines (peeled, cored and pureed)
• 2-3 peaches (peeled and cubed)

Next, add the wine, brandy, triple sec and peach nectar.

Then peel, core and puree the nectarines in a food processor.

Add the puree to the sangria and mix well.

Finally, chop the peaches, add to the sangria and the perfect summer cocktail is complete!

I also chose to freeze watermelon balls to serve with the Sangria instead of using ice cubes

Melon Ballers are sold at Target, Walmart or specialty store such as Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table for around $10.

I ended up making 3 batches for my BBQ, I’d say it was a hit!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This Recipe is Vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This Recipe is Gluten-Free.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Moussaka

Oh My Moussaka!!! In an effort to diversify my recipe portfolio I decided to have “Greek Night” at home last week.  I prepared a Hummus Trio with Pita Bread, Stuffed Grape Leaves and Moussaka. For those of you unfamiliar with this delicious little dish, Moussaka is the Greek version of an Italian lasagna, layered with eggplant, meat sauce and béchamel sauce.

My nephew walked in on Greek Night and asked “what’s for dinner?”  I said Moussaka and the look on this 9-year-old Oklahoma kids face was priceless.  It took me back to the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding when she talked about all the other girls taking Wonderbread Sandwiches to school and she took Moussaka and the other girls said, “Moose Kaka, ewww” haha.  But obviously these girls, nor my nephew had ever had Moussaka because there is nothing “eww” about it!

I convinced him to try a bite because Aunt Whitney made it. Two plates full later I think he changed his mind about Moussaka!

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2 large eggplants (sliced, unpeeled)
• 4 tbsp olive oil (divided)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper (divided)
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 yellow onion (diced)
• 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 cup whole, peeled canned tomatoes (chopped)
• 2 bay leafs
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups (2% or whole) milk
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup pecorino romano
• 1/4 cup feta cheese

(Ignore the lemon pictured, not sure how that little guy snuck in between the 23 other ingredients )

Start by slicing the eggplant and placing on a large foil lined baking sheet. Next, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt and pepper.

Next, cover the eggplant with foil and roast in the oven at 475° for 25 minutes.

Now cover a baking dish with cooking spray, then sprinkle the breadcrumbs on the bottom to form the crust of the Moussaka.

Now begin preparing the meat sauce.

Start by cooking the onion in 2 tbsp olive oil for 3-4 minutes.  Next add the garlic, cook for an additional 1-2 minutes then add the hamburger meat.

Once the hamburger meat is cooked through add the ground cloves, cinnamon, allspice, oregano and 1/2 tsp black pepper.

Next add the tomato paste, red wine, tomatoes and bay leafs.

It’s about this time the house starts smelling REALLY good! Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Now begin making the béchamel sauce. Start by melting the butter in a small skillet.

Next, add in the flour and whisk well.

Remove from the heat and add the milk.

Pour the mixture into a separate container to cool.

While the béchamel sauce is cooling, start assembling the moussaka.

By this time the eggplant should be out of the oven and nicely roasted. Start by layering the slices on top of the bread crumbs.

Next, remove the bay leaves from the meat sauce and add a layer to the dish.

Then, another layer of the eggplant.

Another layer of meat sauce and then it’s time to finish up the béchamel sauce to pour on top.

Once the béchamel mixture is cool, add the egg and egg yolks.  Whisk together well then pour on top of the Moussaka.

Finally top with the pecorino romano and feta cheese.

Place in the oven at 350° for 45 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.

Moussa-mazingness!

♣ Vegetarian Option: Substitute 16 oz canned lentils and/or chickpeas for the ground beef to make a Vegetarian Moussaka.

♦ Gluten Free Option: Substitute Gluten-Free flour in the Béchamel sauce and use Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs for the crust.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Words To Live By

When I began the Little Leopard Book I really had no idea where to start. One thing I knew was that I didn’t want an empty blog, so I decided to add a “quotes” page to enhance the content (and my previously naked menu bar).

Less than a year later I have a menu bar that is quickly filling up!  With the soon-to-come “Restaurant Reviews” and “Bucket List Items” I have decided to retire the original quotes page.

I did, however, want to share the page as a post so that it will forever remain on the LLB. I also took this opportunity to add some of my favorite, as I like to call them, “quote pics” from Pinterest.  I hope the following will inspire, enlighten and delight you all

“You have choices in life, so choose to be happy” – Me